CARY, N.C. (June 28, 2023) – Kaleigh Kurtz is an iron woman. She played every minute of the 2022 season and, so far, has done the same in 2023. Earlier this year she set – and continues to extend – the club record for consecutive starts after her 53rd straight in the Courage’s 1-0 win over Racing Louisville on June 24.
KK, as she’s known around here, has been a staple of support along the Courage back line. When it comes to Pride Month, she’s providing a different kind of support. Kurtz ran a month-long campaign through social media, pledging a donation for every Courage clean sheet, goal by the team and assist recorded by a defender. Her donation totaled $160 to Playing for Pride, an organization she got involved with early in her career. “The LGBTQI+ lifestyle wasn’t ever something that was, like, taboo from my point of view. I’ve known it and been around it for so long. When I saw J-Mac (Jessica McDonald) doing Playing for Pride in 2018, I was like, ‘oh, what an amazing initiative.’ I think my pledges were like $2 then, so it’s been really cool to get to see this grow over the years,” Kurtz said. But KK thought even bigger. She challenged her followers to match her pledge, giving them until June 28 to send her a DM with proof of a donation to any LGBTQI+ organization. One received her game-worn Pride Jersey following Saturday’s (July 1) Pride Match. The other, a gift card to an LGBTQI+-owned establishment. She also promised Pride Night tickets to anyone who donated – no matter how much – to an LGBTQI+ organization. “I feel like my purpose in general in life is to help people feel comfortable being themselves. That’s part of why I’m unapologetically weird and authentic with who I am. I feel like so many people have similar struggles, whether it’s money, job, self-confidence, true authentication, that if they see someone who has a bigger platform being out and happy and, and proud, then you know, they’ll have that confidence, too,” Kurtz said. The Courage celebrated the LGBTQIA+ community at the club’s annual Pride Night on Saturday, July 1, when the team hosted the Houston Dash at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Pride festival, held prior to the match, featured LGBTQIA+ and ally-owned businesses and organizations, performers, and entertainers from the LGBTQIA+ community. For Kurtz, the night was a culmination of a month-long display of allyship. As she looks to help her team continue the impressive form on the field, her support for the community and commitment to making soccer a safe space for everyone is already a win. “Being an ally means supporting people. Just being there for someone, even if I don’t quite understand how they’re feeling. Just being a person that can give a shoulder to cry on, be someone that can listen. Be what they need me to be,” Kurtz said. This story was updated on July 1.
